Council members frustrated with lack of voice in mayor's plans

Lauren Takores, The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·3 min read

Apr. 16—The city of Oneonta Common Council voted unanimously to begin the process of reinstating the council's finance and human resources committee Tuesday, April 16, which was dissolved at the beginning of the year.

The council vote, initiated by Scott Harrington, R-Sixth Ward, instructed the city attorney to draft a charter amendment to codify the committee, ensuring the committee's continued existence and population.

The issue came up during a discussion about Mayor Mark Drnek's proposed Downtown Renaissance program, which is aimed at expanding current and creating new arts, entertainment, shopping, dining and community activities during the summer months, with an eye towards attracting baseball families to Main Street.

Last summer, staff members and volunteers from Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties, a nonprofit addiction recovery community, acted as ambassadors of Muller Plaza, the Main Street square near the intersection of Dietz Street, hosting near-daily daytime events in the plaza.

Kaytee Lipari Shue, D-Fourth Ward, said she wanted to see the FOR-DO contract.

"Last year was the first year of that," she said, "and I would agree that it was an improvement in the space, but I think that council should be given the opportunity to reflect and make a decision on whether or not we feel like it's valuable to spend that money in that way again."

Drnek said he believed it was a given that FOR-DO would return this summer, since the council approved a budget with $16,500 for FOR-DO's summer activities in the plaza.

He added that when FOR-DO Youth Services Coordinator Kaler Carpenter presented information to the council in October, the council seemed to be in agreement the program should return this summer.

Lipari Shue said that since October, council turnover due to the election means there are four new members who haven't had a chance to review the expenditure.

Harrington said that whenever he tried to bring up his concerns about council input on city business, he kept getting dismissed.

"I think this is where our committee structure is very valuable," he said," because this would have been hashed out in the Finance and Human Resources Committee."

"[The] Finance and Human Resources Committee is a valuable committee in my eyes," he added, "because one of the main things that this council's job is to do is finances for the city. It was very disheartening when this committee was taken away from us this year, and with no real reasons given to why other than we're trying to streamline the process."

The council also voted unanimously to waive the city's purchasing policy requirements to expedite the hiring of a summer programming coordinator, who would be paid a stipend of $25,000 and oversee the events and activities laid out in the Downtown Renaissance plan.

Near the close of the meeting, the council voted unanimously to close Dietz Street between Main and Wall streets to through vehicles from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays beginning June 1 and ending Aug. 31, and voted unanimously to close the same section of road 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays beginning Sept. 7 and ending Nov. 2.